Palghar: 150 students of ashram school still under observation

Palghar: Around 150 students of ashram schools who suffered from food poisoning in Maharashtra’s Palghar district are still under observation in various hospitals and their condition is stable, an official said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, around 250 students of 20 ashram schools (residential facilities for tribal students) in Dahanu taluka fell ill due to food poisoning and their teachers rushed them to nearby health facilities for treatment. According to officials, they complained of health complications like nausea, vomiting and dizziness within hours of consuming the food ordered from a central kitchen in Kalamgaon on Monday. Dahanu Tribal Development Project Officer Dr Satyam Gandhi told PTI on Wednesday morning that around 150 students are still under observation in various medical facilities, while others have been discharged. “Nobody is seriously or critically ill,” he said.

He said officials of the tribal development department have been asked to collect data of students still undergoing treatment in health facilities. “Samples of food given to students in ashram schools are being tested and only after the test reports are received will we be able to tell what caused the complications,” the official said. District Collector Govind Bodke said on Tuesday that after getting information about the incident, he along with senior officials of the district visited the health centres where the students were admitted and also inspected the central kitchen from where the food items were received. The collector said that the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and police personnel collected samples of the food items and sent them to laboratories for testing. He said that the concerned sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) will investigate the incident, while the FDA and police will conduct their own independent investigation. Resident Deputy Collector Subhash Bhagde said that the affected ashram schools were functioning under the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) and were located in Dahanu, Palghar, Talasari and Vasai talukas of the district.